Mercedes to bridge gap to AMG with C450 Sport

Want to get your hands on a new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, but find the existing range-topping C400 too pedestrian and can't stretch to (or wait for) the upcoming new C63 AMG? We've got some good news for you, friend.

The latest word from Stuttgart has it that Mercedes is planning to bridge the gap with a new C450 Sport. Though not a full-on AMG model, it is said to benefit from the input of the engineers in Affalterbach. Power is tipped to come from the same 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 as the C400, but instead of 329 horsepower, it would offer more like 367.

The model would likely be offered in either rear-drive or rear-biased 4Matic all-wheel drive, but the smart money is on MBUSA only offering the latter in North America. You could, of course, expect to pay a premium over the as-yet unconfirmed price of the C400 – a good three grand or more considering the difference between the outgoing C300 and C350.

Considering that you could probably get the same boost out of an aftermarket ECU remap, though, Benz will need to offer a little extra in the form of upgraded rolling stock, suspension and trim to set it apart. The AMG Line exterior trim package pictured above would probably be a good place to start...